Surfing with confidence

[Chiefan2020]

HI
I retired to Baja Sur (originally from Santa Cruz, CA) 15 months ago. Yes,its beautiful, lots of waves. I have been surfing for 30 years, but only got out maybe once a week the last few years. I have a problem with waves over 2', Yes that sounds silly, but I am serious. IN CA I never went out when surf got any bigger. I had too many bad experiences, so I just concentrated on the local long point breaks, on small days.
Strickly longboarder stuff. I ride a 9' 2" board, and I am a fit 65 year old.

Here in Baja Sur, the waves are 3+ all season, or in the off season its completely flat, nothing. I have traveled all around the area, east, cape, Cerritos ( awful pitchy break), The Rock, and Old Man's. Old Mans Playa Aquajito is the only possibllty, but never under 3'.

When do I get out in 3'+ waves I freeze up, crawl to my feet, and or fall over. Same as in CA on bigger days. Since I am not having any fun surfing here in Cabo area, I have surfed less that 20 times in a year and a half. The only time I got any decent surfing was on vacation to Scoropion Bay, about 8 hours north of here. An awesome mellow point break. Like magic, my popups are smooth, and I get in 6-8 beautiful rides each surf session.

Meanwhile I do workout everyday, do dry land pop ups. and pray for a good day in the surf. But I feel I lack the confidence it takes, to make the transition for bigger waves.. Maybe its an age thing, fear just sets in. Or maybe we should just move to a place where the waves are more mellow, CA is too expensive, not to mention the crowded lineups (never thought I would miss the Santa Cruz crowds!)
Any ideas to help my confidence?

Thanks
BA

[dtc]

1. Paddle out and catch the first wave that arrives.
Don’t think about it, just catch it. You will then realise it’s fine

2. The opposite technique. Paddle out on a 4ft day and catch the 3ft wave, which will look smaller and easier. Then realise you can catch 3 ft waves.

Confidence comes from knowing you can do something , which only comes from having done it (well, I guess there are people who are just confident through arrogance). Surfing is no different to giving a speech or changing a tap washer. First time is stressful. Second time is easier than the first.

Of course the more prepared you are the less of a jump. If you know you can survive a tumble, can hold your breath, can get back on the board - then there isn’t that much to worry about

Of course there is the other classic method to do something scary - peer pressure. Go surfing with someone who you don’t want to disappoint.

[Chiefan2020]

Thanks, I hope to give it another try soon. Last time I went out I caught the first wave, crawled up, lost my balance and fell over.
Second wave I stood up too soon, missed the wave. Stayed out an hour, with 4 other desperate people, no more waves Really the slow season here

[oldmansurfer]

My theory for learning to push your limits is to take small steps so go out on a 2 foot day but try to catch the bigger waves of the day. Try to catch a 2.5 foot wave or a 2 foot 2 inch wave and keep at it till that becomes comfortable. However after years of not doing that you may find it difficult. Also if the waves are only 2 feet every single one of them then try taking off a couple feet deeper. So lineup as you would normally then go deeper a couple feet so you are taking off deeper than your comfort zone. Learning to do that may be all you need to get over the fear of bigger waves. It is about taking a later drop so you can practice on smaller waves that don't scare you. As you learn to take off deeper then you will be able to learn to go even deeper 2 more feet over etc.

[waikikikichan]

fear just sets in.

Fear of what ?
Drowning.
Breaking your neck.
Of others laughing at you if you wipe out.

So ask yourself what will happen if you do go "over the falls" ?
Ask yourself what does happen when a wave smashes you.

[steveylang]

fear just sets in.

Fear of what ?
Drowning.
Breaking your neck.
Of others laughing at you if you wipe out.

So ask yourself what will happen if you do go "over the falls" ?
Ask yourself what does happen when a wave smashes you.

When you're in the water about to catch a wave, you try to suppress the fear and try to catch the wave. But yeah, right now I think you can take a step back and actually search your feelings about what you are actually afraid of? Because then you might be able to actually untangle it and at least partially resolve it- it appears your skills and experience are actually more than capable for the task of 3'+ waves. It might be physical danger, it might be fear of looking stupid, whatever. I rarely surf waves head high and above, so honestly for me my biggest fear is probably of looking kooky when it gets more challenging.

The other thing is, in all your wipeouts in 3 ft or 3-4 ft waves, what's the worst that actually happens? Probably nothing, other than a pretty short tumble and hold down?

I think its natural to panic during even a shorter hold down, oxygen is important and the body reacts and makes you feel it. When I wipe out I start counting when I'm getting tumbled around, it calms me down because I realize that I'm typically only under for a few seconds, and that I'm capable of holding my breath for far longer than that.

In activities like surfing, you can divide difficulty/wave size into 3 categories- comfort zone, challenge zone, and panic zone. Don't go out in your panic zone (whatever size that is for you), but if you work on your challenge zone you can get gradually improve your skills and mindset so that that wave type/size is now in your comfort zone.

[steveylang]

On a side note, I've been eying Cabo San Lucas as a surf trip destination (I am pretty close in SoCal.) Congrats on making it down there for your retirement!!

One of the better online references I have found so far is this link, let me know if you have any other important tips.
https://www.wavetribe.com/blogs/surf-tr ... aja-mexico

[IB_Surfer]

Cerritos and Pescadores are both really good waves, not easy ones. Not sure if you have driven out to 29 palms and to shipwrecks, a little easier of a wave that peels forever. Also, when it is big, I've surfed over at La Bocana, it doesn't break all the time but when it does it has a really easy peak into smooth shoulders.

So, to try something, try a bigger board. Usually means you catch more waves and easier, but lower performance, but you'd be surprised how catching waves gives you a lot more confidence

That said, what size/type board and how much do you weigh?

[JulianOnWater]

In activities like surfing, you can divide difficulty/wave size into 3 categories- comfort zone, challenge zone, and panic zone. Don't go out in your panic zone (whatever size that is for you), but if you work on your challenge zone you can get gradually improve your skills and mindset so that that wave type/size is now in your comfort zone.[/quote]

Great way to think about it

[IB_Surfer]

You need a bigger board. Bigger means more stable and so you don’t wobble as much getting up.

Try this: go to the surf shop at the Hotel Surf at old mans and rent a 10ft board, see if you do better.

By the way, I dig surfing cabo, usually do zípppers and old mans, but when it’s big I go to la bocana, it’s a fun wave that breaks in both directions when it’s working



By the way